(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) – The South Texas law firm of Hilliard Muñoz Gonzales, LLP (HMG) says it is
investigating USPLabs, LLC and its popular dietary supplement OxyELITE Pro. The firm, based out of
Corpus Christi, recently filed a lawsuit against the company on behalf of a 35-year old client for alleged
heart damage resulting from their client taking the supplement OxyELITE Pro. A recent story in Hawaii
News Now(i) references that USPLabs, based out of Dallas, has now announced that it will stop the
nationwide distribution of the diet pill in lieu of a staggering number of liver failure cases associated
with the supplement.
“USPLabs has known that there is an issue with OxyElite Pro and intentionally failed to properly warn
consumers about the catastrophic side effects,” said attorney Bob Hilliard of Hilliard Muñoz Gonzales,
LLP. “We’ve been reading reports on this company for months. It started with cases of military
personnel dying after taking the supplement.”
On October 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it was investigating whether some
acute hepatitis cases were linked to OxyELITE Pro.(ii) According to the report in Hawaii News Now, the
Hawaii Department of Health states that there have been a total of 29 cases of liver failure and acute
hepatitis linked to the dietary supplement in that state(iii).
According to the suit filed in Dallas County, HMG’s client took OxyELITE Pro from March 2012 until
February 23, 2013 when she was hospitalized for several days in Arizona for heart damage. Diagnostic
tests have revealed that the firm’s client lost 10-20% of her heart function.
“Our client is 35-years old, but since February she has been unable to go back to work and do many of
the things she could previously do in her daily routine,” Hilliard said.
OxyELITE Pro contains the drug dimethylamylamine (DMAA). In April 2012, the Food and Drug
Administration sent a warning letteriv to USPLabs stating, “To the best of FDA’s knowledge, there is no
history of use or other evidence of safety establishing that dimethylamylamine will reasonably be
expected to be safe as a dietary ingredient. In fact, dimethylamylamine narrows the blood vessels and
arteries, which increases cardiovascular resistance and frequently leads to elevated blood pressure. This
rise in blood pressure may increase the work of the heart such that it could precipitate a cardiovascularevent, which could range from shortness of breath to tightening of the chest and/or a possible myocardial infarction (heart attack).” (iv)
In a 2011 New York Times(v) article, the United States Army stated that it was investigating whether the
supplement played a role in the deaths of two soldiers who died from cardiac arrest. Toxicology reports
showed that DMAA was present in their systems at the times of death. According to the story, the army
had banned the sale of products with DMAA, including OxyELITE Pro, on any military base.
“This is a dangerous supplement and consumers need to know that they are risking their lives when they
ingest OxyELITE Pro,” Hilliard said. “Reality is setting in and people are literally killing themselves to be
thin.”
According to the suit filed by HMG, USPLabs failed to sufficiently test OxyELITE Pro and failed to use
adequate labeling, instructions and warnings to fully apprize the medical, pharmaceutical and/so
scientific communities, users and consumers about the potential risk of serious side effects.
The official website for USPLabs currently has OxyELITE Pro as “out of stock."
“People take this drug to help them lose weight, not to die,” Hilliard said. “Hilliard Muñoz Gonzales is
aggressively looking into this supplement to help make sure that innocent people get justice.”
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About Hilliard Muñoz Gonzales L.L.P. - Hilliard Muñoz Gonzales L.L.P. has represented individuals from
across the United States and Mexico since 1986. The Texas- based law firm specializes in a variety of
personal injury, breach of contract, fraud & negligence, toxic exposure and dangerous prescription drugs
cases. HMG’s principle office is located in Corpus Christi, Texas. More information on Hilliard Muñoz
Gonzales L.L.P. can be found at www.hmglawfirm.com.
Media contact: Robert Hilliard at (361) 877-2292 or bobh@hmglawfirm.com.
i Meiers, Rich. Hawaii News Now, October 8, 2013: “Diet supplement linked to liver failure ordered off Hawaii
shelves,” http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/.
ii U.S. Food & Drug Administration, October 2013, FDA Investigates Acute Hepatitis Illnesses Potentially Linked to
Products Labeled OxyElite Pro:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Outbreaks/ucm370849.htm
iii Meiers, Rich. Hawaii News Now, October 8, 2013: “Diet supplement linked to liver failure ordered off Hawaii
shelves,” http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/.
iv U.S. Food & Drug Administration, April 2012, Letter to USPLabs,
http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2012/ucm302167.htm
v Lattiman, Peter. February 2012, “Army studies workout supplement after death;”
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/business/army-studies-workout-supplements-after-2-deaths.html
Company Name: Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP
Email:Send Email
Phone: 361-882-1612
Address:719 S. Shoreline Blvd. #500
City: Corpus Christi
State: TX - Texas
Country: United States
Website: www.hmglawfirm.com
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